Oil can



. 1,557,127 Oct. 13, 1925 w, WILKIN OIL CAN Filed Aug. 5 1924 Patented 0a. 13, 1925.

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Application filed August 5, 1824. Serial No. 730,292.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. WILKIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Grangeville, in the county of Idaho and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Oil Cans, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawm s.

lhis invention relates to improvements in oil cans and more particularly to an oil can operated automatically to discharge when it is engaged with a bearing or other surface to which itisadapted to apply oil, and which has means whereby the outlet from the can may be manually opened to discharge the contents when so desired. a

An important object of the invention s to provide, in combination with a can of this character, a pump arrangement whereby the operation of the pump can be controlled to either cause pressure within the can to discharge the contents thereof or to form a vacuum in the can to draw into the can a fresh charge of lubricant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character which may be relatively cheaply produced and which will be durable and eflicient in service.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a device of this character in which the pump is employed as a handle for the can and in which the manual means controlling the discharge is so located that it may be readily operated by a finger of the hand engaging the handle of the can.

These and other objects I attain by the construction shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention and wherein Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an oil can constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken through the valve employed attached to the pump cylinder;

Figure 3 is a sectional view showincflg the mounting of the manually controlle operating member.

Referring now'more particularly to the drawings, the numeral 10 indicates a can body which may be of any suitable construction, .but which preferably has an upwardly taperin top 11 and a bottom 12 threaded into place so that it may be readily removed for cleansing the interior of the i can. Mounted in and extending upwardly through the conical top 11 is a tube 13, the lower end of which projects into the can to the approximate center thereof and is sealed as at 14. A conduit 15 has its ends disposed adjacent the ends of the cylindrical portion of the can at one side thereof and its central portion extending into proximity to the lower end of the tube 13. This central portion has an enlargement 16 which at its points of communcation with the sections of the conduit 15 lying at opposite sides thereof, is formed to provide a valve seat 17. This central portion further communicates with the interior of the conduit as at 18. Pivoted within this enlargement 16 is a lever 19 swingable in the plane of the longitudinal axis of the conduit 15. One end of this lever extends into the enlargement and 1s formed to provide a check valve 20 coactmg with the seat 17, and the opposite end of this lever extends into the tube-13 and is. there provided with a pendulum weight 21. tube is interiorly threaded for'the reception of the threaded inner end 22 of an extension tube 23 within which a nozzle tube 24 has a sliding fit. The inner end of the extension tube 23 is formed as a valve seat, as at 25, and the inner end of the nozzle tube 24 which is closed, as at 26, is provided with a valve 27 coacting with this seat. The nozzle tube. immediately above this valve, is provided with perforations 28 so that when the valve is separated from the seat the interior of the nozzle tube is in communication with the interior of the tube 13 and, through this tube and conduit 15, with the interior of the can. Extending through the tube 13, adjacent the outer or upper end thereof, is a rivet 29 forming the seat for one end of a spring 30, the opposite end of which abuts the lower surface of the seat of the valve 27 about the nozzle tube 26 to force the valve of the nozzle tube into engagement with the seat 25 and normally maintain this valve closed. The outer end of the nozzle tube projects beyond the outer end of the extension tube 23 and has secured thereto one end of an operating rod 31. An operating thumbp1ece is provided comprising a piece of wire bent centrally to rovide a loop 32, the ends of the wire at t e ends of the loop being extended in contiguity toward the tube 13 The upper or outer end of the:

to provide a stem 32 for the loop. The ends of these wires are then bent around the tube 13 and secured thereto in an suitable manner, as by soldering at 34. he wires forming the stem 32 intermediate the ends of the stem are oppositely bowed as at 33 to provide an e e or loop for the assa e of the rod 31. This wire is flexib e an accordingly-the ends of the 100 32 may be separated to permit the end 0 the rod 31, whlch has formed thereon a button 31 of too great size to pass through the loop 33, to be inserted in this loop. The same flexibility of the wire permits shifting of the wire through the loop 32, which may be referred to as the thumb-loop, to shift the rod 31 and accordingly the nozzle tube 24 to disengage the valve 27 from the seat 25 and establish communication with the can. The outer upper end of the nozzle tube 24 is provided with a reducer nozzle 35 of any suitable construction.

Secured to the side walls of the can, at the opposite sides thereof from the point where the ends of the conduit 15 extend ad jacent the walls of the can, and held in spaced relation to the outer walls of the can by supports 36 is a pump cylinder 37 forming a handle whereby the can may be manipulated. Within this cylinder is the usual piston 38, the rod of the piston being provided with an operating handle 39 whereby the piston may be reciprocated when arranged adjacent the lower end of the pump cylinder. Between the upper end of the pump cylinder and the ad acent wall of the can 1s arranged a valve casing 40 within which is rotatably mounted a valve 41, the

stem of which is provided with an operating handle '42. This valve is in the form of a tapered cylindrical solid body 43 having a air of bores 44 and 45, opposite ends of the ores 44 and 45 being provided with a valve seat against which enga es a spring-pressed check valve 46. It wi be noted that one of these valves opens in the opposite direction from the other of the valves. The casing 40 is provided with an opening 47 aligning with the valve bore 45, and aligned with the other of the valve bores a tube 48 communicates with the interior of. the valve casing 40 at one end, while its other end 49 extends into the can casing 10 adjacent the bottom thereof. At opposite ends of the bores, at diametrically opposed points, the valve casing 40 communicates wlth the adjacent end of the ump cylinder 37 through conduits 50 an 51.

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming the can to be empty and it is desired to fill the same, the bore 45 which aligns with the opening 47 of the casing is turned so that the valve 46 thereof is next adjacent the entrance of the tube 50 throu h the wall of the casing, the movement of t e crank or operating handle 42 of the valve bemg limited at this point. At this time the bore 44 is aligned between the tubes 48 and 51. Upon operation of the pump, since air cannot be drawn through the opening 47, as the check valve 46 of the'bore 45 seats toward the pump this air is withdrawn through the bore 44 from the container 10, causmg a partial vacuum in the container so that the lubricant may be drawn into the same through the s out. The operation of the filling can be acilitated by removing the extension sleeve 23 and nozzle tube 24. This may be accomplished 'b disengaging the knobbed end 31 of the ro 31 and rotatmg the sleeve or, if desired, it may be accomplished by simply rotating the sleeve to disengage the same, the sleeve 23 and nozzle tube 24 bein thus left attached to the can. When the lling has been completed the valve is reversed with the result that upon operation of the pump the interior of the casing is placed under ressure, air entering the pump cylinder t rough opening 47, bore 45 and tube 50 and'leaving the ump cylinder through tube 51, bore 44 and tube 48 by means of which it is discharged into the can casing. With the can casing under pressure, it will be obvious that if the valve 27 is 'unseated, either b enga in the end of the nozzle with a sur ace to he ubricated or by operation ofthe nozzzle tube through the thumb-piece 32 and rod 31, oil will flow from the nozzle to the surface to be lubricated. It 'is pointed out that the lever and valve construction 19,20 and 21 insures sealing of the up er end of the conduit 15 1'6? gardless of w ether the can be vertically disposed, inverted, or sim ly horizontally disposed, the counterweight moving the check valve into engagement with the seat 17 which is uppermost in any osition of the can, so that the pressure wit in the can cannot escape through the up er end of the tube but must force the lubricant throu h the lower end of the tube and tube 13 to t e nozzle.

It will be obviousthat the construction hereinbefore set forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of my invention and I accordingly do not limit myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

I claim 2-- 1. In an oil can and in combination, a portable oil container having a nozzle, a valve controlling the passage of fluid from the container to the nozzle, a pump associated with the container, and a member controlling communication between the pump and container operable to connect the pump with the container to create pressure within the container or to create a partial vacuum therein, including a casing, a body interiorly fitting and rotatable within the casing, the interior of said casing through the Walls thereof being in communication with one end of the pump cylinder, the interior of the casing being likewise in communication with the container and with the atmosphere, said rotatable body having a pair of ports with valves therein, the valves tainer, a sleeve communicating with the interior of the lubricant container, an extension sleeve engaged with the outer end of the first named sleeve, a nozzle tube interiorly fitting the extension sleeve and having its inner end closed, said nozzle tube adjacent such inner end having a valve, the inner end of the extension sleeve being formed to provide a seat for said valve, the tube being perforated outwardly of said valve, a support extending transversely of the sleeve, a spring extending between said support and tube and normally maintaining the valve in engagement with the valve seat,

said extension sleeve having threaded engagement with said sleeve, manual means for shifting said tube including a rod engaged with the tube, a shiftable finger piece engaged with the sleeve, and a connection between said rod and finger piece permitting disengagement of the rod to permit r0- tation of the tube to disengage the same.

3. In a pressure oiler, a lubricant container, a sleeve communicating with the interior of the lubricant container at opposite ends of the container, means automatically cutting ofi communication of thesleeve with that end of the container which is arranged uppermost, an extension sleeve engaged with the outer end of the first named sleeve, a nozzle tube interiorly fitting the extension sleeve, having its outer end projecting beyond the outer end of the extension sleeve and its inner end closed, said nozzle tube adjacent such inner end having a valve, the inner end of the extension sleeve being formed. to provide a seat for said valve, the tube being perforated outwardly of said valve, a support extending transversely of the sleeve, and a spring extending between said support and tube and normally maintaining the valve in engagement with the valve seat.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature.

GEORGE W. WILKIN. 

